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The Filling Station

4.5 (10 reviews)
Open 1:00 pm - 9:00 PM

The Filling Station Photos

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11 months ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Great Ice cream. Very busy on weekends but worth the wait. Polite and nice. Outside seating only.

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

Perfect little old school ice cream shop with plenty of flavors to choose from! Try it!

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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13 years ago

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Review Highlights - The Filling Station

Shop offers and abundance of outdoor seating and great service.

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Pancho Villa - Lunch Burrito

Pancho Villa

4.7(29 reviews)
0.5 mi

We wanted to go to the nearby High Trestle Trail Bridge, so we stopped here for lunch with our…read moregrandkids on a weekday just after noon. We were quickly seated and got our drinks and started to look over the menu, which house lots of options! The kids settled in on a grilled cheese and a taco respectively. I decided to get the lunch burrito and my wife went for the lunch enchilada. Our food came out pretty quickly and everything was very fresh tasting and the serving sizes are huge! For a lunch special I expected a lunch-sized portion and I got what I would consider an evening-sized portion. The same for my wife's meal. When we were wrapping up, they came out with ice cream for the kids. They really enjoyed that even though you would've thought they'd have been full after all they ate for lunch. The spice level on everything was very mild. The salsa had just a little bit of a zing to it but nothing that would stop the kids for eating it. Next time I will ask for some hot sauce or throw some jalapeños in my entrée, but I do like it spiced up a bit. Service was very good and a gentleman who I assume is the owner was very funny and engaged well with everyone in the restaurant. They have a parking lot and everything was neat and clean. We did not partake of any adult drink offerings, but they did have what look to be a nice nicely stocked bar

Lovely little restaurant and the staff is so friendly. The food came out very fast and had HUGE…read moreportions so you'll probably have plenty of leftovers! So happy we stopped here passing through Madrid.

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Pancho Villa - Had a great family dinner. Didn't get a chance to take a picture before they took all our plates. 10/10 Recommend

Had a great family dinner. Didn't get a chance to take a picture before they took all our plates. 10/10 Recommend

Pancho Villa - Texas Fajitas

Texas Fajitas

Pancho Villa

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Cole's Ice Cream - Front of the building

Cole's Ice Cream

3.5(27 reviews)
7.4 mi
$

I've passed Cole's many times and just kind of shrugged it off. It looks like a state fair food…read morestand that sits along the road. We rolled by it on our way home from a little day trip North today and decided to give it a try. There is no inside dining room. Just a walk up window and a pseudo-patio with a few picnic tables. Parking is tight, but there are a few adjacent spaces that can catch overflow if needed. I didn't know a lot about Cole's. A few pieces of Star Wars memorabilia, loud colored signs, a veterans mural and large battle cross on the storefront caught my eye. Being a veteran myself I decided to dig in a little bit and try to figure out what was going on with this place. The first thing I found... We were first timers, but people LOVE this place. There was a line. We were rubbernecking and watching food come out the window while waiting to order. The locals were friendly. More than once we heard "We've never had anything bad here. It's ALL good." Second. Cole's basically burned to the ground last year. The owner with support of the community of Slater rebuilt it. The third thing... Even more humbling for me than the story surrounding the rebuild. And the one that gave me the answer I was looking for about the veteran related pieces... The owner of Cole's (David Sturdy) named his restaurant after his son Brandon Cole Sturdy. Brandon joined the Marines and was lost to hostile fire in the Afghanistan War at the age of 19 on May 4, 2004. From this former sailor... Semper Fortis Marine. The food. We ordered a Cole's Super Tenderloin. Hand pounded and perfectly cooked. Topped with brisket, onion rings, dill pickles, and BBQ sauce. The Super Tenderloin was comboed out with some of the best onion rings I've ever had. Large. Whole onion rings...not minced. And again perfectly fried. The mound of shredded cheese is covering a boat of chili and hand cut fries hot out of the fryer. That and one scoop of hard chocolate ice cream in a bowl came to $27.50... Service at the window went well. The portions are HUGE. We split everything and were both more than full. If a little bit of a wait pisses you off... If you're not okay eating at a picnic table, in your car, or at a nearby park... This might not be the place for you. If you like good fair style food and ice cream... Grinders, various types of hot dogs, burgers, tenderloins, chicken strips, etc. Cyclones, hard pack ice cream, soft serve, banana splits and more.... See their Facebook page for a full menu. If you enjoy something new. Enjoy a short day trip. Enjoy time outside with your family on a beautiful day. This is a great spot. About seven weeks ago the owner made a post on Facebook that almost sounded like the restaurant's days might be numbered. Under it was a comment that added more detail. Like it may only be open on weekends for now... I know it was open today. And I know it would be a damn shame to lose another small town Iowa treasure like this with everything going on right now...

Cole's American Tenderloin and Ice Cream Bar is one of those little places you drive by and think,…read more"bet the food is good there." Famous for its American Tenderloin, Cole's also offers old-fashioned shakes made with real ice cream, and huge tacos with a pound of meat. The tenderloin $12/tax) is the star, a hand-pounded piece of meat so juicy and tender it almost melts in your mouth. The French fries are fried in a special fat and covered with herbs. The flavor of Cole's fried food tastes outstanding and the portion sizes are easily enough for two people. This is traditional Americana roadside fried food at its finest. Inside dining is limited to just a few tables, most people probably pick up their ice cream treats outside "to go" in the summer. Not really much here for people with specific dietary needs. It's just not that kind of place but they often try new items for the menu. Today's new item was tater tots with beef, onions, sprinkled with cheese. Sometimes you're just really hungry for this kind of food.

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Cole's Ice Cream - The place is filthy. I didn't want to touch the door. The tables inside and out were dirty. Will not go there again!

The place is filthy. I didn't want to touch the door. The tables inside and out were dirty. Will not go there again!

Cole's Ice Cream - Storefront.

Storefront.

Cole's Ice Cream - One of the best tenderloins in Central Iowa!

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One of the best tenderloins in Central Iowa!

Whatcha Smokin' BBQ & Brew

Whatcha Smokin' BBQ & Brew

4.3(236 reviews)
6.3 mi
$$

About an hour and a half drive but well worth the trip!…read moreSaturday early afternoon and it was packed...about a half hour wait for seating was the only downside. Service was outstanding and the staff seemed to be handling multiple aspects of the jobs and helping each other out...no one just did one thing and I think that really sped up the service. Katie was our primary server and was outstanding! We ordered up a two and a three meat deal and had Campground Beans, Creamy Coleslaw, Cheesy Potatoes,, and Mac & Cheese as sides as well as a slice of Texas Toast and Cornbread as sides....oh, and Golden Corn Nuggets as an appetizer. The Corn Nuggets were good and sweet and served up with honey and a ranch sauce for dipping. The meat choices were 3) Ribs, Pork Loin, and Turkey Breast....and 2) Pork Loin and Turkey Breast. The smoke on everything was amazing and just the right amount for excellent flavors..the ribs were very meaty. Some places ribs leave you wanting but not at Watcha Smoking! The Pork Loin and the Turkey Breast were both very good as well...still tender and not dried out. I liked the Neck of the Woods sauce the best (mild tomato based) as well as the Carolina Gold sauce...it had nice kick to it. The sides were all good but the only issue was the Cheesy Potatoes were a bit dry.....I'm thinking that it must've been towards the end of the batch and had been sitting around for a bit. Cornbread was excellent, Texas Toast tops, Coleslaw was a good shredded, wet slaw, the Mac and Cheese very good, and the Campground Beans were the preferred side as they had some good chunks of smoked meats mixed in. Fantastic place, great for small groups and large groups as well...great food and great service...Definitely worth the trip!

Really enjoyed the premier BBQ joint in the greater Des Moines area in my visit to Whatcha Smokin'…read morein the midst of a rural backdrop, this place was definitely worth the 45 minute trek from the state capital for delicious brisket, corn, slaw and sweet tea at a very affordable price. I appreciated the dual restaurant ambiance for a service side with waiters or a order at the register style. All BBQ restaurants have one or the other but not both. The meet was tender and juicy and as their name would suggest - smoked to perfection. I don't know if I'll find myself in Iowa ever again but if I do I will definitely make another pilgrimage to Whatcha smokin for the states best BBQ

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Whatcha Smokin' BBQ & Brew - Customer ID map!

Customer ID map!

Whatcha Smokin' BBQ & Brew
Whatcha Smokin' BBQ & Brew - See ya next time

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See ya next time

The Filling Station - icecream - Updated May 2026

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